Many renters do not have enough money for a down payment, but a program called Home Partners of America that is working to change that. “It allows first time homebuyers or people moving to the area the opportunity to rent a high-quality home with an option to purchase. It gives them stability. They can stay there up to five years and have the flexibility to purchase it,” said Laney Abrahamson, who is a realtor with Coldwell Banker and qualified agent with Home Partners.

CU Boulder instruments to space

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed two space instruments that will measure light energy from the sun and they could be headed for space this week. The instruments are part of a launch that’s scheduled to take place on Friday. The two instruments – a total irradiance monitor (TIM) and spectral irradiance monitor (SIM) -- are headed to the International Space Station. Scientists say the information they gather about energy from the sun can tell us a lot about life on Earth. “This energy drives atmospheric motions, drives oceanic circulations, but it also drives all the chemical processes [and] biological processes,” said lead mission scientist Peter Pilewskie with CU Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. “So everything comes from the sun, so that’s why that measurement is so fundamental.”

Rockies planning major redevelopment of parking

A parking lot across the street from Coors Field could soon be transformed into a large, mixed-use development that would include a public plaza and a Colorado Rockies Hall of Fame. Colorado-based architecture firm Stantec announced the development proposal on Thursday. The Rockies are leading development of the site, which sits just to the southwest of Coors Field. Plans call for the entire block bounded by 19th, 20th, Wazee and Wynkoop to be redeveloped. That block currently is a surface-level parking lot. In addition to a Rockies Hall of Fame, plans include a hotel, residential and office space, retail, food and beverage spaces and an outdoor plaza that the developers intend to be used as a pre- and post-game gathering spot for Rockies fans. The plaza also would be available for events and other gatherings throughout the year. “Beyond baseball, the plaza will serve as Denver’s ‘outdoor room,’ a year-round space that can accommodate neighborhood concerts, festivals and other activities,” said Stantec Senior Principal Daniel Aizenman.